[i]Continuing in Red Ridge Creek, a small town out in the hicks that seems to have a demon invasion incoming, can two hunters prevent the tide of darkness.[/i]

Moving off the bed to stand beside the window Beth flicked off her sturdy jacket and flung it down onto the bed as she gazed out onto the dark street of the oh so normal town, the was no clue, no indication that anything out of the ordinary could happen in such a run of the mill place. Hearing Clint rustle through the pages Beth moved back to his side and leant languorously against the sturdy wooden vanity table and watched Clint as he flicked through the book with a thousand horrors and the way to vanquish them. It was her treasure and her burden as it was the life she would always lead and never be away from.

Her bright eyes watched him as he looked through the pages, sometimes pausing for a moment to read but in the whole she could see he was skimming over most of the content. Suppressing the sigh that came to her she leant forward towards him, her tumble of long corn coloured hair falling down to fan across her now bare shoulders as the bones in the russet bodice she wore creaked slightly as she read over his shoulder. Reaching out her left hand Beth began turning the pages in the book to the section she was looking for. Sweeping a section of hair away from her face Beth pointed to certain parts of the book.

“Right these bits are the one you really need to know about demons.” Pointing to each section in turn she offered him a small explanation. “You can recognise a demon has been around as they sometimes leave a trace of sulphur. Demons can’t be killed by any means I know of but that doesn’t mean they don’t have weaknesses, holy water, salt, iron and a devils trap are your best defence.” Beth said pointing briefly over to the door where the unbroken line of salt was spread and the chalk devils trap lay unavoidably underfoot. “And if you’re good enough you can sometimes exercise the demon so that it leaves the host body.” She pointed to a singled out paragraph of text that was much neater that anything on the page. Speaking with a melody almost in her voice Beth recited.

"Exorcziamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica... Ergo, draco maledicte et omnis legio diabolica, adjuramus te ... cessa decipere humanas creaturas, eisque æternæ perditionìs venenum propinare... Vade, satana, inventor et magister omnis fallaciæ, hostis humanæ salutis... Humiliare sub potenti manu Dei; contremisce et effuge, invocato a nobis sancto et terribili nomine... quem inferi tremunt... Ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, Domine. Ut Ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos." 
She smiled with a vindictive fire in her eyes and then she remembered herself and turned her attentions back to Clint. 

“If you can learn even a little of that it will really help. Just starting the process will begin to weaken a demon and start to force it from the host body, which can give you a moment to run or incapacitate it.” She paused for a moment to lean herself back so she rested the weight on her arms and looked at Clint as he looked back at her. “To what they can do, it really depends on the demon and their power. As a general rule they are stronger and faster than us and filled with hatred, malice and cruelty that no human could posses, no deed is too foul for them to perform. Most seem to be able to move smaller objects with an invisible force and even when they possess a human they are all but invulnerable and if you do manage to hurt the host enough the demon will just move on to another body.” 

Looking behind her on the vanity table she began fishing through the small jewellery box, her fingers brushing against the trinkets and talismans she had accumulated over her years of hunting From within the box she pulled out a silver pendant in the form of a demon trap star sealed in a circle of flames and attached onto a rough leather thong. Holding it up to her eye for a moment she then leant forwards again and placed the pendent around Clint’s neck and to his credit he didn’t struggle or protest until she was done.

“And this…” she motioned to the necklace she had just placed on him. “Is to protect you from demon possession. It won’t be very good if you get possessed while we are working.” She said with a small but surprisingly soft smile. “So any questions?”